Chapter 7 Cherwell Background Cherwell, North Oxfordshire, lies astride the M40 motorway between London and Birmingham. In population terms, Cherwell is the second largest district in Oxfordshire with a population of approximately 132,000. Over two-thirds of Cherwell’s population live in the three main urban centres – Banbury, Bicester and Kidlington – with populations of 42,000, 29,000 and 17,000 respectively. 15% of Cherwell residents commute outside of Oxfordshire to work. Just over 48,000 remain in Oxfordshire to work with a further 7,000 working at home and 5,000 with no fixed workplace. At the time of the 2001 census, approximately 72,000 residents of Cherwell were in employment. A breakdown of people’s main mode for the journey to work is set out below: Bicycle 4% Other 2% Train 2% Bus 5% Car Passenger 7% Work from home 10% Car driver % 60 On foot 10% Development Challenges Cherwell, because of its location, is becoming a prime location for business relocation. Although this is very good for local employment, it produces a challenge for the authorities to balance between desired economic development and the adverse impacts that this brings to the transport networks. The main transport challenge that Cherwell will face over the next five years is the demand that housing development at Banbury and Page 141 Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan 2006-11 Bicester will place on not only the networks of the towns but also on strategic routes such as the M40 and A34. Housing Growth Assumptions 2006 - 2016 The Oxfordshire Structure Plan 2006 – 2016 proposes 5900 additional dwellings in Cherwell between 2006 and 2016. These dwellings are expected to be distributed approximately as follows: > Bicester – 2150 dwellings > Banbury – 2500 dwellings > Kidlington – 500 dwellings > Other (within Central Oxfordshire Sub-region) – 250 > Other (outside Central Oxfordshire Sub-region) – 500. 2016 - 2026 The County Council has recommended to the South East England Regional Assembly that an additional 5900 dwellings be provided in Cherwell between 2016 and 2026, but this figure is yet to be agreed by the Government. Non-Statutory Cherwell Local Plan 2011 The Non-Statutory Cherwell Local Plan (NSCLP) details the specific locations of where future housing and employment developments should be located in the district. The NSCLP has proposed that the housing development in Banbury should largely be located at the Bankside site to the south of the town, whilst in Bicester the vast majority of the allocation should allocated to the south west of the town. Outside of Banbury and Bicester, the other areas that the NSCLP has earmarked for significant development are approximately 700 dwellings at Upper Heyford and a further 200 dwellings at Yarnton. In terms of employment sites in Cherwell, the NSCLP recommends that in Banbury proposals for employment generating development are made for an additional 1,580 jobs. In Bicester, the NSCLP states that an additional 5,440 jobs are generated, including 1,540 jobs at the development at Bicester Airfield. The NSCLP states that traffic generating development need to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Local Transport Plan. Major generators of travel demand should be: > Located in existing centres which are highly accessible by means other than the private car and should be accompanied by a transport assessment and travel plan; > Development that would not compromise road safety; Page 142 Chapter 7 - Cherwell > Development that would not prejudice pedestrian and cycle circulation or route provision and all new development shall provide cycle parking to the County Council’s standards; > Development that complies with adopted parking standards; and > Include roads that shall give priority to pedestrians, cyclists and buses. The Cherwell Community Plan Vision 2016 – the Cherwell Community Plan - was prepared by the Cherwell Community Planning Partnership. The Plan is based around a series of ten objectives or themes to deliver a better quality of life in Cherwell. The main issues identified in the Community Plan which are relevant to this LTP are highlighted below: > Make roads safer and reduce speeding and a number of actions are set out to achieve this; > Improve health - Several actions to improve access and reduce inequality will have transport implications; > Promote prosperity and sound transport systems - there are a series of actions to achieve the aim of improved transport; > Protect and enhance the local environment - one of the aims is the promotion of environmentally sound transport options; > Rural perspective – the aim of ensuring accessible services and facilities involves several transport related actions; > Urban focus - this includes the aims of improving traffic flows and achieving better integration between the centres and their hinterlands; and > Focus on Cherwell’s people – to improve the quality of life for all there are actions to improve transport and access for groups including older people, young people and disabled people. Transport Network The diversity of Cherwell’s road and rail network means that it functions on local, regional and national scales of importance. The two main settlements in Cherwell – Banbury and Bicester – are both close to the M40 and have rail connections with Oxford and London. Cherwell, despite being a rural district, is well served by a variety of bus routes, including dial-a-ride, subsidised and commercial services. Car ownership in Cherwell is relatively high on a national level but average for Oxfordshire with over 80% of households in Cherwell having access to one car or more. The remainder of this chapter sets out the identified high priority problems in Cherwell. For most of these problems, solutions have been identified (based on the actions identified in chapter 3 and the related strategies in Page 143 Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan 2006-11 chapter 4) for implementation over the next five years. However, given that funding is finite, there are some problems for which detailed solutions have not been developed and programmed within the timescale of this Plan. Tackling Congestion Cherwell faces some of the biggest congestion problems in the county. This is largely due to the high demand placed on the network with residents accessing areas within Cherwell, Oxfordshire and main centres such as London and Birmingham. The County Council intends to focus its efforts over the next five years on the following congestion problems in Cherwell. These priorities have been identified through the prioritisation system outlined in chapter five using the following evidence: > Traffic flow data > Approximate two-way bus flows > Current congestion levels and future pressures from Transport Networks Review and local modelling. A34 – M40 to Oxford Problem Over 65,000 vehicles per day use this two-lane dual carriageway section of the A34. At its worst, queues of over five kilometres can build up south of junction 9 of the M40 causing severe delays to all road users. The congestion results in major reliability problems and delays for a number of bus services, including: > Cross County Express services between Bicester and Oxford (4 services per hour) > Local services between Bicester and Oxford (6 services per hour) The predominant cause of the congestion on the northbound carriageway is insufficient capacity at junction 9 of the M40, where the A34 and M40 meet. For southbound traffic the major source of congestion is the difficulty for traffic to leave the trunk road onto congested parts of the Oxford local road network. The Transport Networks Review suggests that the road itself may be running at close to capacity through the day and possibly at capacity during peak periods. Proposed solutions The County Council will continue to work in partnership with the Highways Agency to develop schemes to relieve congestion on the A41/A34 corridor. During this Plan period, schemes could include: Capacity enhancements at M40 Junction 9, including the provision of bus priority; Page 144 Chapter 7 - Cherwell Bicester Premium Bus Route/Real Time Passenger Information Potential enhancement of Bicester to Oxford rail services The Highways Agency also have plans to increase the capacity of the slip roads and roundabout at junction 9. Expected Details and expected impact on Scheme Cost Completion problem This will help to reduce pressure Bicester on the A34 by encouraging local £143,000 2010/11 Premium Route journeys from Bicester to Oxford to be made by bus. Redesign of key ring road roundabout to reduce congestion A40 North of on A40 and smooth flow of traffic Oxford - and between A34, A40, A44 and Wolvercote £TBC 2011-16 Woodstock Road and improve bus roundabout priority. Expected to help improvements alleviate southbound queuing on A34. A40 North of Redesign of ring road roundabout Oxford - to reduce congestion and improve Cutteslowe £TBC 2011-16 bus priority. Expected to help roundabout alleviate southbound queuing on improvements A34. This will help to reduce pressure Associated on the A34 by encouraging local Remote Park & £TBC with journeys from the Bicester area Ride at Bicester development to Oxford to be made by Park & Ride. Page 145 Oxfordshire Local Transport Plan 2006-11 A41 – King’s End, Bicester to M40 Problem King’s End and the A41 together comprise the main route out of Bicester towards the M40/A34, and carry around 34,000 vehicles per day including Bicester – Oxford bus services. Queues, especially in the morning peak stretching back from the M40 junction, can be as long as three kilometres, consequently, having an impact on access to Oxford. This congestion has a significant impact on the following bus services that use this stretch of road: > Cross County Express services between Bicester and Oxford (6 buses per hour) > Local services between Bicester and Oxford (8 services per hour) The predominant cause of the congestion on the northbound carriageway is insufficient capacity at junction 9 of the M40, where the A41, A34 and M40 meet.